It is said that when you read a good article, you will see yourself or what you want in it. After reading the excerpt above, I couldn't put it down. In just a few words, I can tell you the way Zeng Guofan studied and studied throughout his life: "If you haven't finished one part, you can't replace it with another. This is a very difficult principle."
Zeng Guofan was not a very smart person in his own life. Legend has it that someone once sent an assassin to sneak into his home to assassinate him, but they saw that he was reciting the official document that was to be delivered tomorrow, over and over again. Finally, the assassin couldn't bear it anymore and walked up to him and recited the official document from beginning to end, and then started talking. And go.
The method of leading troops during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is even more interesting, a bit like Zhu Yuanzhang's method of "building walls high and hoarding grain widely." He dug a deep trench and could only defend it, waiting until the opponent either messed up their position or exposed a weakness before attacking. This strategy of using defense as offense is not favored, but it is the most effective method. In my opinion, he has mastered the key points of "Sun Tzu's Art of War" - "take them from chaos, prepare them with strength, and avoid them with force". During the Three Kingdoms period, Sima Yi had the same attitude towards Zhuge Kongming.
Let’s talk about reading. Often the most effective methods are the simplest and most direct. In his early years, Zeng Guofan had a high self-esteem, and he was discouraged by failing several provincial examinations. Fortunately, he never gave up, studied diligently every day, and eventually became famous. Zeng Guofan embodied the word "diligence" throughout his life. This diligence is not about "lights at three and chicken at five", but perseverance. He got up early every day to practice calligraphy and read books, and he never stopped even when leading troops to fight. In his diary every night, he summarized the mistakes he made that day, and he was always diligent. "I examine myself three times a day" he practiced throughout his life.
Learn more than a hundred Chinese characters every day, read ten pages of memorization books, and ten pages of reading books. Over the past few years, there will be success. This method of studying has also been the rule of his life!